Library | Building America Solution Center

Showing 1 - 50 of 112 results:

A Bridge Too Far, BSI-005

2008

Lstiburek Joseph

Building Science Corporation,

BSC

Article describing thermal bridging, construction practices that encourage thermal bridging, and solutions.

Above the Flood: Elevating Your Floodprone House, FEMA 347

2000

Federal Emergency Management Agency

FEMA

Document describing three methods for elevating a home out of the flood zone.

Advanced Wall Framing

2000

U.S. Department of Energy,

Home Innovation Research Labs,

Southface Energy Institute

HIRL,

SEI,

DOE

Fact sheet describing advanced framing techniques that reduce the amount of lumber used in constructing wood-framed houses while providing more space for wall insulation.

Alaska Residential Building Manual, 7th Edition

2008

Deer Charlie,

et al.

University of Alaska,

Alaska Housing Finance Corporation

Manual describing best practices or home construction in Alaska and northern climates.

Boiler Inspections for Safety, Life and Efficiency

2008

Kleva Stephen

Contractor Magazine

Article explaining the importance of regular inspections of boiler systems in maintaining their safety, lifespan, and efficiency.

Building a 40% Energy Savings House in the Mixed Humid Climate

2008

Christian Jeffrey E,

Bonar Jacob

Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Presentation about building highly efficient, affordable homes that will achieve 40% whole-house energy savings in mixed-humid climates.

Building America Best Practices Series: Builders and Buyers Handbook for Improving New Home Efficiency, Comfort, and Durability in the Marine Climate, Volume 5

2006

Baechler Michael C,

et al.

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,

PNNL,

Oak Ridge National Laboratory,

ORNL,

U.S. Department of Energy,

DOE

Document providing a resource to help builders large and small build high-quality, energy-efficient homes that achieve 30% energy savings in space conditioning and water heating in the marine climate.

Building America Performance Analysis Procedures for Existing Homes

2006

Hendron Robert

National Renewable Energy Laboratory,

NREL

Report provides a proposed set of guidelines for estimating the energy savings achieved by a package of retrofits or an extensive rehabilitation of an existing home.

Building America Research Benchmark Definition - Updated December 19, 2008

2008

Hendron Robert

National Renewable Energy Laboratory,

NREL,

U.S. Department of Energy,

DOE

Document describing the Building America research benchmark for the residential building program.

Building America Residential System Research Results - Achieving 30% Whole House Energy Savings Level in Marine Climates, January 2006 - December 2006

2006

Building America Industrialized Housing Partnership,

et al.

BAIHP,

BIRA,

BSC,

CARB,

DEG,

IBACOS,

NAHBRC,

NREL,

IBCS

Report summarizing research results for the 30% energy savings level and demonstrates that lead builders can successfully provide 30% homes in the Marine Climate Region on a cost-neutral basis.

Building America Residential System Research Results: Achieving 30% Whole House Energy Savings Level in Hot-Dry and Mixed-Dry Climates

2006

Building Industry Research Alliance,

et al.

BIRA,

BSC,

CARB,

DEG,

FSEC,

IBACOS,

NAHBRC,

NREL

Report summarizing research results for the 30% energy savings level and demonstrates that lead builders can successfully provide 30% homes in the Hot-Dry / Mixed-Dry Climate Region on a cost-neutral basis.

Building America System Research Results - Innovations for High Performance Homes

2006

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

NREL

Report providing a summary of key lessons learned from the first ten years of the Building America program and also included a summary of the future challenges that must be met to reach the programs long term performance goals.

Building Science Corporation (BSC) Building America Quality Control Checklist, GM-0802

2008

Building Science Corporation

BSC

Document with the Quality Control Checklist developed as both a guide to assist in the transition to high performance home building, and as a simplified tool to be used as part of any builder's on-site quality control procedures.

Building with Structural Insulated Panels

2000

Morley Michael

Taunton Press

An online learning management resource for the construction community.

Ceiling Fans - Tips for Maximizing Energy Savings

2008

Calwell Chris,

Horowitz Noah

Massachusetts Department of Energy,

Commonwealth of Massachusetts,

Home Energy Magazine,

State of Massachusetts

Article describing customer tip sheet and how ceiling fans are one of the most popular and generally well regarded of all home energy efficiency features.

Ceilings and Attics

2000

Southface Energy Institute,

Oak Ridge National Laboratory

ORNL,

SEI

Information sheet with information about insulating and ventilating attics.

Closed Crawl Space Performance: Proof of Concept in the Production Builder Marketplace

2008

Dastur Cyrus,

Mauceri Maria,

Hannas Benjamin

Advanced Energy

Report aimed to quantify the impact of closed crawlspaces in new homes, and investigate modeling software to ensure accuracy of energy consumption predictions in these homes.

Concrete Floor Problems, BSI-003

2008

Lstiburek Joseph W

Building Science Corporation,

BSC

Information guide describing issues with concrete floors, in multiple climate zones.

Concrete Floors and Moisture, 2nd Edition

2008

Kanare Howard M

Portland Cement Association

Document discussing moisture considerations and testing techniques for concrete floors.

Cool Neighborhoods: The Measurement of Small Scale Heat Islands

2000

Sonne Jeffrey K,

Vieira Robin K

Florida Solar Energy Center,

FSEC,

European Council for an Energy Efficient Economy,

ECEEE

Paper describing the effects of tree canopies on residential climates indicating tree cover to be beneficial to climate conditions

Cost, Design, and Performance of Solar Hot Water in Cold-Climate Homes

2006

Aldrich Robb,

Vijayakumar Gayathri

Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,

CARB,

Steven Winter Associates,

SWA

Report describing the monitored long-term performance of two solar domestic water heating systems in northern climates.

Defensible Space - Home Builder’s Guide to Construction in Wildfire Zones, FEMA 4

2008

Federal Emergency Management Agency

FEMA

Technical fact sheet proving information on creating defensible space to reduce the risk of damage from fires to property.

Designing for Earthquakes - A Manual for Architects, FEMA P-454

2006

Federal Emergency Management Agency

FEMA

Report explaining the principles of seismic design to architects.

Erosion and Sediment Control On Your Construction Site

2008

Community Development and Insfrastructure County of Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz County CDI

Report describing construction site erosion and sediment control practices recommended and required by a county planning department.

Erosion Control Treatment Selection Guide

2006

U.S. Department of Agriculture

USDA,

USDA Forest Service

A publication developed by the U.S. Forest Service for its employees and other federal agency staff describing erosion control methods.

Evaluation of the NightCool Nocturnal Radiation Cooling Concept: Annual Performance Assessment in Scale Test Buildings Stage Gate 1B

2008

Parker Danny S,

Sherwin John S

Florida Solar Energy Center,

FSEC

Report about an experimental evaluation conducted on a night sky cooling system designed to substantially reduce space cooling needs in homes in North American climates.

Excessive Heat Events Guidebook

2006

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

EPA

Guidebook meant to provide public officials with information on excessive heat event.

Expansion Tanks 101: Pressure and Air Vents

2000

Eatherton Mark

Contractor Magazine

Article containing background knowledge on expansion tanks.

Expansion Tanks 101: The Facts and Myths

2000

Eatherton Mark

Contractor Magazine

Article explaining common myths about expansion tanks and proper facts.

FEMA Anchor Fuel Tanks - Protecting your Property from Flooding

2008

Federal Emergency Management Agency

FEMA

Factsheet for home and business owners describing ways to anchor fuel tanks to avoid displacement in floods.

FEMA Anchor Tall Bookcases and File Cabinets - Protecting Your Property from Earthquakes

2008

Federal Emergency Management Agency

FEMA

Short guide from FEMA describing how to anchor tall bookcases and file cabinets during seismic events.

FEMA Build with Flood Damage Resistant Materials - Protecting Your Property from Flooding

2008

Federal Emergency Management Agency

FEMA

Summary document describing flood resistant building materials and some tips for building flood resistant walls.

FEMA Flood Damage-Resistant Materials Requirements - for Buildings Located in Special Flood Hazard Areas in accordance with the National Flood Insurance Program, Technical Bulletin 2

2008

Federal Emergency Management Agency

FEMA

Technical bulletin describing a set of standards for building materials able to withstand flood waters as needed with wet floodproofing.

FEMA Install Sewer Backflow Valves - Protecting Your Property from Flooding

2008

Federal Emergency Management Agency

FEMA

Factsheet describing backflow valve benefits and tips.

FEMA Protecting Your Property from Earthquakes

2008

U.S. Department of Homeland Security,

Federal Emergency Management Agency,

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

HUD,

FEMA,

DHS

Brochure detailing how to latch and lock cabinets and drawers to prevent injury to residents of the home.

Fiberglass Duct Board - Fabrication Instructions

2008

Johns Manville

Information sheet providing detail about hand fabrication of a one-piece straight duct from a 48" x 120" x 1" thick (1.22 m x 3.05 m x 25 mm) sheet where the total inside duct dimensions equals 112" (2.84 m) or less.

Field Test of Room-to-Room Uniformity of Ventilation Air Distribution in Two New Houses, RR-0602

2006

Hendron Robert,

et al.

Building Science Corporation,

BSC,

National Renewable Energy Laboratory,

NREL,

Mountain Energy Partnership

Report about field testing that characterizes the uniformity of room-to-room ventilation air distribution under various operating conditions by examining multi-zone tracer gas decay curves and calculating local age-of-air.

Fixing Air Leakage in Connecticut Town Houses

2008

Moriarta Courtney

Home Energy Magazine,

National Property Inspections,

NPI

Journal article describing energy and cost savings potential from air sealing multifamily town homes.

Flood and Hurricane Resistant Buildings, BSD-111

2006

Lstiburek Joseph W

Building Science Corporation,

BSC

Guide from Building Science Corporation on how to construct a flood and hurricane resistant home.

Florida Field Guide to Low Impact Development - Bioswales/Vegetated Swales

2008

University of Florida IFAS Extension

Brochure-guide describing swales and their qualities, including objective, maintenance, and design considerations.

Fold-Form

2006

Owens Corning Insulation

Information sheet with manufacturer specifications about insulated concrete forms.

Food and Water in an Emergency, FEMA 477

2006

Federal Emergency Management Agency

FEMA,

American Red Cross

A fact sheet on how to prepare for a natural disaster by storing food and water through an emergency food supply.

Gable End Retrofit Guide

2008

Florida Division of Emergency Management

Florida Disaster

Guide describing retrofit procedures for gable end roofs.

Gable-End Retrofits

2008

Reynolds Richard

Journal of Light Construction,

JLC

A builder's guide describing hurricane-resistant reinforcements for gable ends.

Geothermal (Ground-Source) Heat Pumps: Market Status, Barriers to Adoption, and Actions to Overcome Barriers

2008

Hughes Patrick J

Oak Ridge National Laboratory,

ORNL,

U.S. Department of Energy,

DOE

Report investigating the status of the geothermal heat pump (GHP) industry and technology in the United States, assembling GHP energy savings potential, identifying key barriers to application of GHPs, and identifying actions that could accelerate adoption of GHPs.

Guide to Good Practice for Handling, Installing, Restraining and Bracing of Metal Plate Connected Wood Trusses

2006

Building Component Safety Information

BCSI,

Wood Truss Council of America,

WTCA,

Truss Plate Institute,

TPI

IRC guide referencing wood truss bracing best practices and requirements.

Guidelines on Assessment and Remediation of Fungi in Indoor Environments

2008

New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

Report about indoor air quality related to indoor mold growth.

Home Builder's Guide to Construction in Wildfire Zones - Technical Fact Sheet Series, FEMA P-737

2008

Federal Emergency Management Agency

FEMA

Report providing a collection of fact sheets describing guidance for constructing homes in wildfire zones.

Homebuilders' Guide to Earthquake Resistant Design and Construction, FEMA 232

2006

Federal Emergency Management Agency

FEMA

Report presenting seismic design and construction guidance for one- and two-family houses for homebuilders, knowledgeable homeowners, and other non-engineers.

How Energy Efficient are Modern Dishwashers?

2008

Hoak David,

Parker Danny S,

Hermelink Andreas H

Florida Solar Energy Center,

FSEC

Report about measurements of three recent vintage dishwashers of very different efficiencies showing that while they are substantially more efficient than older dishwashers.